Couture, Fedor Want 'Dream Match' A Reality

It appears Randy
Couture(Pictures) and Fedor
Emelianenko(Pictures) are stepping up their games to
collectively ensure they will get the opportunity to face one
another in the ring. However, the top-ranked heavyweight pair still
have a few hurdles to scale to make the sport’s “dream match” a
reality.

On Monday, Couture, Emelianenko, and their management teams quietly
met on multiple occasions in Los Angeles, the purpose of which both
fighting legends confirmed to Sherdog.com Tuesday.

“We talked a little bit about everything,” Emelianenko said at a
luncheon hosted by Affliction Entertainment. “Certainly, one of the
main topics was the possibility of having a fight together and the
realities that we both face -- mainly that he [Couture] faces -–
and whether the reality of having a fight can happen.”

The congregation of east and west was a first for the sport, one
born out of necessity as the 45-year-old Couture faces an ongoing
legal stalemate while the 18-month, four-fight promotional contract
he signed with the UFC in early 2007 is reviewed by a Las Vegas
arbitrator in the coming months.

Couture (16-8) resigned from the UFC on Oct. 11, 2007, citing
conflicts with pay and treatment. Most notably, Couture lamented
that the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa LLC, failed to sign the
number-one ranked Emelianenko -- the one fighter Couture wished to
face -- into their heavyweight stable. Couture left the
organization to seek out the fight with Emelianenko (28-1, 1 NC) in
a rival promotion, though the UFC insists the heavyweight champion
retired from their ranks and still owes them two more fights if he
decides to come back from sabbatical. Couture and his attorneys
believe his promotional (or fight) agreement expired on July
19.

Monday’s meetings -- which took place over breakfast, a photo shoot
session, then later at dinner –- were friendly in nature according
to both parties, though they also involved a certain degree of
strategic discussions.

“It was an honor to spend a little time with Fedor,” Couture told
Sherdog.com Tuesday. “We’re just trying to exhaust every option to
make this fight a reality.”

An obvious option would lead both men back to the UFC, the least
risk-involved promotion capable of building the bout into a
million-plus pay-per-view giant.

Vadim Finkelstein, Emelianenko’s manager and confidante, said he is
not against negotiating again with the world’s leading fight
promotion, though it’s clear the Russian businessman, who also owns
the M-1 Global promotion, would have stipulations.

“We, M-1, we’re not in any way against working with the UFC. We’ve
spoken to them before about the possibility of working with them
together. Anything’s possible,” said Finkelstein.

Finkelstein proposed that an agreement for Emelianenko-Couture
could be reached if UFC President Dana White was willing “to meet
halfway.”

What constitutes “halfway” may be the rub though.

“It’s similar to what we’re doing with Affliction,” said
Finkelstein. “Our relationship we’re currently seeing with
Affliction is a co-production and a co-promotion and a partnership.
If things aren’t monopolized and we can work together, then it’s a
possibility.”

A co-promoted event between the Russian outlet and the UFC was
rejected by Zuffa in September 2007, as White pursued Emelianenko,
now a free agent, following the crumbling of Pride Fighting
Championships in Japan.

Instead, Finkelstein said the UFC presented the nearly unblemished
Pride heavyweight champion with a stringent, binding contract –-
one that pledged his exclusivity to their organization and
prevented him from competing in sambo, which Emelianenko is a
national spokesman for in his homeland.

“Many of the terms were oppressive and there really wasn’t any
negotiation,” said Finkelstein. “It was a ‘take it or leave it.’
Basically, as Fedor just said, ‘You know what? You’re going to come
back to us anyway. It’s either this or we’ll see you later when you
come back.’”

Instead, Emelianenko signed a two-year, six-fight deal with M-1
Global in October 2007. White blamed the failed negotiations on his
inability to deal with the "crazy Russians."

“Of course, he can’t deal with us because he can’t deal with
anybody,” a still stinging Finkelstein said Tuesday. “He wants to
have everything in his own control, but we can’t deal with people
that want to control everything.”

Mudslinging aside, another attempt to negotiate was made. In
November 2007, M-1 Global, in agreement with Couture, again
presented a co-promotion opportunity to Zuffa privately, this time
for the heavyweight unification bout between Couture and
Emelianenko. Zuffa turned the offer down.

Emelianenko has since floated between promotions like the
now-defunct Bodog Fight, Japan’s Yarennoka and most recently,
Affliction.

At Affliction “Banned” on July 19, Emelianenko clobbered former UFC
champion Tim Sylvia(Pictures) in a tidy 36 seconds, but chipped
the bone at the base of his right thumb for his efforts.

While the injury will not require surgery, it could prevent the
32-year-old from competing at the World Sambo Championships for
Russia in November, as well as cancel the Russian’s annual fight
appearance on New Year’s Eve in Japan.

Also in the U.S. to negotiate his second bout with Affliction for
February or March, Emelianenko and his managers say the elusive
bout with Couture continues to loom on the sidelines.

If round two of negotiations with Zuffa were to take place shortly,
Finkelstein said he might be open to a two-fight deal with Couture
the first opponent on the ledger. However, Finkelstein seemed less
than assured that the UFC would budge from the original offer they
made nearly eleven months ago.

“This is unfortunately the only company right now that is
attempting to monopolize and essentially do everything themselves,”
said Finkelstein. "That’s not what we’re about."